Full LCD. Get with the program !


2018 mustang




YUCK.....

 

I really like the new all digital gauges. They look great. Even better when you can customize them.

 

I generally prefer analog, but I'm OK with the all-electronic back-lit gauges IF they are presented in an analog-type format. A good example is what's in my Lacrosse, where the speedometer, oil-temperature, and voltmeter gauges are white electronic back-lit, but in an analog format. The tach, on the extreme left, and the fuel/temp gauges, on the extreme right, are conventional analog and non-electronic.

 

is the Lacrosse really all electronic? Seems to me it's a no.

 

It's a combo. Like I said above, the speedo, oil, temperature, and voltmeter are electronic. The rest, on the sides, are traditional analog.

If you look carefully, you will notice a blackish square that surrounds the central part of the panel. Everything inside of that is electronic (including the needles), and goes blank when the ignition is off. The outside analog gauges also go blank, but the mechanical analog needles remain.

 

gauge clusters that are full LCD are much smaller than an analog version since they can convey information in a much smaller size. Should see how small an LC gauge cluster is. I find it pointless when a manufacturer puts in LCD gauges and makes it look like old fashioned analog gauges. Whats the point. Lexus probably has the best looking LCD gauge design

 

A lot of car buyers, though, don't agree. Like me, they prefer at least the analog appearance, with needles. And the electronics backing them up are, of course, a boon.....no mechanical speedometer cable to loosen, fail, bend, make ticking/clicking noises, or, of course, lead to odometer roll-backs.

 

Cars with LCD gauges look incredibly cheap and ugly when they are off with all the screens blank. I prefer analog gauges.

 

About time. I hope every manufacturer adopts all digital gauges.

 

Isn't Lexus's F-Sport gauges all or mostly all digital? Looks like they are fully configurable. If so, then it would be fair to include Lexus as taking some lead in this area.
I also love digital gauges, as I am a product of 1980's GM digital dashes. I was obsessed with the 1991-1994 S-10 Blazer/Jimmy/Bravada dash. Those were made to look more like a video game, rather than traditional gauges.
One thing I do not like about most of today's digital offerings is the needles are about half the length as normal needles. This makes it harder to tell a speed at a quick glance or by just keeping things at the corner of your eye while looking forward. At least one can position a digital speed readout as a backup, but then that creates redundancy with two speedos.

 

Personally I prefer analog instrument displays and gauges. Even in EV conversions you really don't need THAT many instruments and only really one very small LCD/LED display for complex functions. Some digital clusters look cool... while some don't at all... but it just seems like a lot of complexity that will be much more difficult to replace or re-screen if a nice collector model vehicle reaches 2+ years and a new highly expensive digital cluster isn't even available any longer.

We can't go completely away from them but I do appreciate the vehicles that take a very conservative, function-first approach to the implementation of their digital cluster displays.

Also, I agree with Och: the dashes are quite boring to look at if they are completely blacked out until the vehicle is turned on.

Current technology of any kind can be fantastic but doing something just for its own sake at the expense of pure function and purpose can get annoying... or extremely pricey to fix down the road, whichever point of view resonates with you more.

 

such eyecandy! Hopefully the MTBF on these LCD's are on the higher end of the scale and knock on wood, no dead/bad pixels...

 

^^ That's what I was thinking. Are dead pixels on cluster displays or flickering aged instrument displays a thing? And what are they to have fixed out of warranty? What are they like to take apart to repair with a DIY method using replacement electronic parts?

I DO like the more beautiful digital cluster designs but I can't help going there when I see extremely screen intensive designs that seem to have non-box-shaped displays that might be extremely difficult to replicate on the aftermarket.

 

I'm actually a fan of the all blank screen when car is off. It creates a mystery to the outside world as to what it may look like. The same idea and psychology as tinted windows.

 

............and that's exactly why there are state laws on window-tint limits. Cops find it so much of a mystery that they can, and sometimes do, get shot because they can't see criminals inside going for their weapons.